New Cut Road Reopens In Ellicott City After Extensive Repairs

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — Repairs have been made to New Cut Road where the stream bank and road collapsed from the 2018 flood in Ellicott City. The roadway, which was previously closed to through traffic, has reopened. Repairs included the construction of two retaining walls and regrading work to stabilize and strengthen the area between New Cut Road and the New Cut tributary.

Upon completion of the stabilization, the entire area was reforested to the maximum extent practical with a variety of native plants and trees. The project also provided an opportunity to replace and reinforce a water mainstream crossing that needed repair.

“This project was a massive undertaking to ensure that New Cut Road was restored safely and resourcefully,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said in a news release. “For our residents, businesses and visitors to Ellicott City, this is another milestone as our town bounces back and continues to be resilient.”

The department of public works began initial work on New Cut Road in 2019 and during the project, the following was completed:

• Replaced approximately 412 feet of retaining wall that failed in the 3900 block of New Cut Road.
• Eight utility poles were relocated away from the stream side as part of reconstructing the retaining walls.
• Replaced sixteen corrugated metal (CMP) culverts with reinforced concrete (RCP) culverts.
• Graded roadside swales and installed over 600 feet of under drain to address drainage from natural springs.
• Resurfaced approximately 1.4 miles of roadway between Hillsborough Road and College Avenue.
• Traffic signs along the roadway were upgraded, new pavement markings were installed and new guardrail was placed along the steep banks on the edge of the road to improve safety.
• And planted approximately 130 trees, bushes, and shrubs to restore the forested area impacted.

“New Cut Road is an important roadway connection to Historic Ellicott City and we are glad that the reconstruction work is complete,” Howard County Department of Public Works Director Tom Meunier said. “We appreciated everyone’s patience, especially the residents along New Cut Road as we reopen the road for the community’s use.”

During design, Howard County obtained an Emergency Watershed Protection Program Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to partially fund the stabilization project. The grant award of $8.1 million funded work in the area between 3850 New Cut Road and College Avenue, rebuilding the stream bank. A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant supported the two retaining walls between 3880 New Cut Road and Hillsborough Road.